Currently, there has been a large effort to increase the efficiency and productivity of agricultural operations. For example, an agricultural machine, such as a harvester, utilizes a header or other implement to perform various operations, such as harvesting a crop. As the crop is harvested, it is collected in a storage bin or hopper located on the harvester. When the hopper becomes full, the harvested crop is discharged into a grain cart, or truck for transportation to market or other destination.
Traditionally, unloading of the harvested crop in the hopper requires that the harvester be driven to a location outside of the area being harvested, such as to the location of a truck parked on a road near the field, or otherwise the harvester must await the arrival of a transport device such as a grain cart towed by a tractor. In the latter instance, the harvester must cease harvesting when the hopper is full, since more crop cannot be harvested until means are available for unloading the hopper. In either case, harvesting is interrupted when the hopper is full, and resumed once the hopper has been emptied.
It is desirable to provide continuous harvesting, and avoid nonproductive time in which the harvester is idle while waiting to unload the harvested crop in the hopper. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,850, Harris discloses a portable grain storage bin which may be located in a field during harvesting of the grain from the field. Harris teaches locating the storage bin in a central location on the field, or nearby the field, thus allowing the harvester and grain carts to discharge the grain into the storage bin if a truck is not available for transporting the grain to the elevator. The storage bin increases the speed of the harvesting since neither the harvester nor tractor pulling a grain cart has to wait for an available truck in order to unload the grain. However, Harris does not disclose providing continuous, uninterrupted harvesting, in which the harvester does not have to deviate from its natural course to unload the harvested crop.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.